Hashim Amla: Latest News | Get Latest News & Articles on Hashim Amla: Latest News at CricketCountry.com Hashim Amla: Latest News Hashim Amla becomes 10,000th LBW victim in Test cricket CricketCountry Staff December 29, 2016 9:50 PM IST The opportunity was open during the ongoing Australia and Pakistan Boxing Day Test as well, however, Sri Lanka took the crown of achieving this feat. Australia vs South Africa, 3rd Test: Hashim Amla wants visitors to complete 3-0 CricketCountry Staff November 18, 2016 4:45 PM IST As a confident South Africa get ready to face hosts Australia in the third and final Test of the series at Brisbane, cricketer Hashim Amla CricketCountry Staff November 13, 2016 6:01 PM IST This is however not the first time Hashim Amla has been a victim of racism.

Amla: SA not dependent on just du Plessis and myself for runs CricketCountry Staff November 1, 2016 12:48 PM IST South Africa begin their campaign Down Under with the first Test against Australia at Perth from November 3. CricketCountry Staff October 27, 2016 5:17 PM IST It was surely a herculean task to select such team, which is full of star players. SA vs AUS: Du Plessis speaks out about Amla's absence CricketCountry Staff October 5, 2016 9:15 AM IST Amla was ruled out of the first ODI at Centurion due to flu bout but was declared fit and available for game two in Johannesburg. Ankur Dhawan August 31, 2016 11:32 AM IST Catch the live cricket score and live updates of Day One of the first Test. Shiamak Unwalla August 31, 2016 11:05 AM IST Catch live score and live updates of match 3 of CLT20 2014 here.

R Vishal August 31, 2016 10:46 AM IST Catch Live Updates of the first day's play between Sri Lanka and South Africa here Live Updates: Sri Lanka vs South Africa, Day 2 R Vishal August 31, 2016 10:46 AM IST Catch Live Updates of the 2nd Day of the First Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa here. CricketCountry Staff August 31, 2016 10:34 AM IST Catch Live updates of the England vs South Africa match here. CricketCountry Staff August 31, 2016 10:21 AM IST Catch all live updates of the clash between New Zealand and South Africa here. CricketCountry Staff August 31, 2016 10:19 AM IST South Africa are in firm control of the second Test. CricketCountry Staff August 31, 2016 10:19 AM IST South Africa are on the verge of winning the second Test.

Hashim Amla | South Africa Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPN Cricinfo Other Profile The classiest, calmest man on a cricket field, Hashim Amla's name is etched in South African cricket history. With his wristy leg-side flick and serene cover drive, Amla became the first South African to score a triple century in Test cricket, while also effectively shifting gears to become the fastest batsman to 2,000 (40 innings), 3,000 (57 innings), 4,000 (81 innings) and 5,000 (101 innings) runs in ODI cricket. Amla's career began at Durban High School, the alma mater of Lance Klusener and Barry Richards, and a world away from his brother, Ahmed. Just four years apart, they grew up on either side of the Apartheid divide, which meant that Ahmed went to a school for the previously disadvantaged, while Amla was afforded better opportunity at a more prestigious institution.

After a successful school career, Amla toured New Zealand with the South African Under-19 team in 2000-01 and captained them at the 2002 Under-19 World Cup. After reeling off four centuries in his first eight innings of the 2004-05 season - in which he was also appointed, and stepped down as, Dolphins captain - he was picked to play for South Africa against India. He was not an instant success, with serious questions emerging about his technique and his back lift, in particular, as he mustered 36 runs in four innings against England later that season. When he was handed a second chance, he made it count with 149 against New Zealand at Cape Town, helping South Africa to a draw. He remained a consistent performer, even if not as prolific as South Africa would have liked, and made fifties against Pakistan in 2007. But he saved his best for the following year's tour of India, where he racked up 307 runs in three Tests. That included a majestic 159 in Chennai, his second score of 150 or more.

He followed that with a pugnacious 81 in the second innings, in conditions that were trying, thanks to the weather, the pitch and the attack. In the summer of 2008, he got his name on the honours board at Lord's with a sublime century, and, in the process, silenced all whimpers about his pedigree for the longest version. Still, doubts remained over his ability in the shorter formats, but Amla corrected that in 2010. He scored over 1,000 runs in both Test and ODI cricket. It started with a magnum opus tour of India, where the hosts threw everything at him, but could not find a way past his monk-like patience and ability to soak pressure. In the two-Test series, he scored 490 runs and was dismissed just once. In ODIs, he combined quick scoring with stunning consistency, scoring five centuries and four fifties in 15 innings, all the while scoring at over a run a ball, which saw him rise to No.1 in the ODI rankings that year.

He was promoted to South Africa's leadership core when he was named vice-captain of the ODI and T20 international teams in June 2011, and later that year, scored centuries in both Tests South Africa played against Australia at home. But Amla's crowning moment came the following year, when he got South Africa's quest to become the No.1-ranked Test team off to an epic start, spending 13 hours and 10 minutes at the Oval crease crafting a triple hundred, and not even needing a change of gloves. Amla also scored a century at Lord's as South Africa took the Test mace from the hosts. A quickfire 196 against Australia in Perth ensured South Africa stayed on top, and in February 2013, Amla was the ICC's top-ranked Test batsman. He had also decided to keep away from captaincy promotions, and stepped down as the limited-overs vice-captain. That was why it came as a surprise when, less than 18 months later, Amla accepted the Test captaincy.

His tenure was off to a solid start as South Africa beat Sri Lanka 1-0 away from home in his first series in charge, and West Indies at home in his second, in which Amla scored a double hundred in the first match. But that proved a false dawn. Amla had taken over a team in transition and South Africa's struggles came in 2015. They lost a four-Test series in India 3-0 and returned home to lose the opening Test against England. Amla's own form also suffered and he had not crossed fifty in a year. The New Year's Test of 2016 brought a change of fortune as he scored a double hundred, having decided to give up captaincy. He announced that he was stepping down after the Test was drawn. Firdose Moonda I use the IPL period to rest and spend time with my family: Hashim Amla - Cricket Country › I use the IPL period to rest and spend time with my family: Hashim Amla Hashim Amla is currently the premier batsman in world cricket, ranked No 1 in both One-Day Internationals and Test cricket.

However, it's not just his runs that have won over fans, his languid style and professional attitude has earned him the respect of cricket fans around the world By Saj Sadiq | Updated : May 18, 2013 12:53 PM IST Apart from skipping the Indian Premier League, Hashim Amla also did not feature in any T20 international in 2013 © Getty Images Hashim Amla is currently the premier batsman in world cricket, ranked No 1 in both One-Day Internationals and Test cricket. However, it’s not just his runs that have won over fans, his languid style and professional attitude has earned him the respect of cricket fans around the world. Matching style and substance is often a difficult balance for a batsman, but Amla’s average of 52 in Test cricket, including 27 half-centuries and 19 centuries from 70 matches, and a phenomenal average of 57 in ODIs with a strike rate of 91 shows a happy medium can be found with hard work and discipline. Yet Amla, does not figure in the world’s biggest T20 league — the Indian Premier League .

Amla tells PakPassion’s Saj Sadiq that’s because he uses the time to rest and spend time with family as the international cricket calendar is quite taxing on the players. Excerpts from an interview: PakPassion (PP): Who were your role models and inspirations in your formative years? Hashim Amla (HA): I wouldn’t really say that I had any role models on the cricket field. The players that I liked watching when I was younger were Brian Lara and Steve Waugh . They both are contrasting players, but successful in what they did. PP: Which individual has had the biggest influence on your career and why? HA: My father. He sacrificed much of his time and effort in taking me to practice, matches and any other cricket commitments that would come up. My parents and entire family’s support in and out of the game is something I could never repay. My father also never put any pressure on me to perform and instead allowed me to just play cricket and enjoy myself. PP: Your temperament is always praised by your team-mates, opponents, fans and media. How do you manage to stay so focused, calm and collected?

HA: I am very fortunate and grateful to have my family and some close friends who are a means of support for me. I feel that cricket is ephemeral by its nature, so there’s no point in getting too worked up about things. PP: How do you prepare for a major international cricket match? Do you have a set routine that you stick with? HA: I try and do my preparation a few days in advance. Net sessions, physical training etc. The day and night before a game I usually take things easy and try and be as relaxed as possible ahead of the match. PP: What was it like making your Test debut in the cauldron of Eden Gardens? HA: It was quite exciting and naturally; I had a few nerves. The noise was immense and I could barely hear my team-mates, even if they were standing 15 metres away. We didn’t win the match, but it was a brilliant experience just to be playing with and against such wonderful cricketers. PP: What would you say to all the Muslims around the world who see you as a role model? Are you honoured or would you prefer that part of your life be kept separate from your cricket career?

HA: Every person is seen as a role model to someone else, whether they are aware of it or not. A father to his son, an elder sibling to a younger one, a teacher to a student. The list is endless. Sportsmen are the same; normal people, but with more public attention. I try not to think too much of it and just live my life and play the game as best I can. If there is some positive then arises from it then I am grateful. PP: What was your impression of the Pakistan team on their recent tour of South Africa and in which areas do you think they can improve in? HA: The Test series was difficult for them as our bowlers, who form the best bowling attack in the world at the moment, really exploited the home conditions well. We probably had the most difficult pitches to bat on anyway, so that made it even more challenging for them and for us. The One-Day Internationals were closely contested; thankfully for us AB de Villiers had an outstanding series and almost single-handedly won it. PP: Your thoughts on the upcoming departure of head coach Gary Kirsten?

HA: I am not surprised, because as a fellow sportsman I understand the difficulties with the crazy amount of days that we travel away from home. He played international cricket for 10 years or so as well as coaching for a few more, so for him to dedicate more time to his family makes a lot of sense. PP: Was stepping down from the South African One-Day International vice-captaincy a difficult decision to make? HA: Not really. I still contribute my thoughts and ideas to the captain on and off the field. PP: You’ve asked not to play any T20I cricket in 2013. Do you envisage that decision may change for 2014? HA: It may change. I’m not someone who plans too far ahead, so as the months go by I will re-assess how I feel and then decide. PP: With so many of your team mates playing in Twenty20 leagues around the world, is that something that appeals to you also? HA: The one league that most are involved in is the Indian Premier League (IPL) and that comes at the conclusion of our international season.

At the moment I find it a good gap to rest and spend time with my family and catch up with all the things I put on hold during the season. The international calendar is quite tiring, so I have decided to see how I feel towards the end of each season before I make myself available for the Indian Premier League or any other Twenty20 competitions around the world. PP: South Africa will be without Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis for the upcoming Champions Trophy; do you think the team can overcome the loss of two such experienced players? HA: Those two will be missed but it also gives a wonderful opportunity to others in the squad. It is a good test for us and hopefully we can put in a great performance for the country at the Champions Trophy. PP: Your views on the relentless run machine that is AB de Villiers? HA: He is an amazing player and currently the world’s best batsman. Thankfully we have him playing for us and not against us. PP: Who do you see as the main threats to South Africa in the Champions Trophy, and the teams to look out for? HA: Well, it’s more like…who is not a threat!

There are no easy games in the Champions Trophy and every team has a realistic chance of winning, which is what makes it so exciting. PP: Your brother Ahmed went to Bahrain and coached youngsters. Is coaching something that you would like to get involved with once your playing days are over? HA: Coaching is an option; even consulting may be an option. I would definitely like to pass my experience on to others when I am done with playing cricket. ( Saj Sadiq is Senior Editor at PakPassion.net, from where the above article has been reproduced.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Saj_PakPassion ) First Published on May 18, 2013 12:53 PM IST Last updated on May 18, 2013 12:53 PM IST TOPICS: 08 Jan, 2017 07:30 IST | 02:00 GMT Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui 12 Jan, 2017 03:30 IST | 22:00 GMT Basin Reserve, Wellington 12 Jan, 2017 13:30 IST | 08:00 GMT The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 13 Jan, 2017 08:50 IST | 03:20 GMT Brisbane Cricket Ground (Woolloongabba), Brisbane 15 Jan, 2017 08:50 IST | 03:20 GMT Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne They used to giggle at Hashim Amla... but no one's laughing now | The Independent Cricket They used to giggle at Hashim Amla...

but no one's laughing now He looked out of his depth in the early days of his Test career but is now a world-class batter who will surely become the first Muslim to captain South Africa in Tests. He talks to Stephen Brenkley Friday 13 July 2012 23:00 BST Click to follow The Independent Online Cricketer Hashim Amla Getty Images The first sighting of Hashim Amla in international cricket was bizarre. He crouched like Quasimodo at the crease, he shuffled about nervously as if waiting for a job interview, the bat came down in a parabola from somewhere in the region of point. And all this was executed with a grand, flowing beard appearing somewhat squashed under his helmet. He had already played one unsuccessful Test match by the time England came across him in late 2004 and then he made 36 runs in four innings. Despite the four centuries he had made earlier that South African domestic season, there was a barely suppressed suspicion that he was merely part of the quota system designed to ensure that the team at least partly represented the ethnic composition of the country. Sympathy was tinged with an unkind laughter.

They are not laughing now. Amla, still with a method not necessarily preferred by conventional coaching manuals, has become one of the world's leading batsmen in all forms of the game. Perhaps it is his slight unorthodoxy, allied to vast powers of concentration, that has fooled bowlers. "I was fortunate in that it took me some time," said Amla as the South Africa tourists gathered at Canterbury yesterday for their only first-class match before the Test series against England begins at The Oval next Thursday. "Sometimes people go in two ways – you find your feet pretty quickly or you fail and come back. "I don't think much has changed for me as a batsman, but the experience I have gained over many years has added to the cricketer I am. To me the most valuable thing has been the experience, knowing how the international set-up works; it develops your game automatically and I've had that time to develop." After his calamitous experiences in that losing series eight years ago against England, which might have finished some players, he waited more than a year until his next Test. This time he did not miss the opportunity and made 149 against New Zealand at Cape Town.

He has been more or less an ever-present in South Africa's middle order since. Amla is a thinking man's cricketer but he chooses not to give much away when confronted by the men with the notebooks and tape recorders, opting to speak in wide-ranging platitudes. Thus, his take on the imminent series between the No 1 and No 2 ranked sides in the world: "I think it will be a good series. Both teams are well matched.We have played some good cricket over the last few years. "Obviously, the top two teams are always going to be the most dangerous teams. Fortunately, we get to face some serious bowlers in our net sessions so I think our guys will be well prepared in that respect. We do our analysis and we have faced most of the guys so we'll enjoy the challenge." Amla is probably best recalled by English followers for his fighting innings at Lord's on the last tour when South Africa were forced to follow on. As part of the resolute rearguard action by the top order, Amla made one of three centuries, 104 from 242 balls, and on a pitch getting flatter never wavered. These may be the circumstances he prefers.

His finest hour as a batsman so far was probably in India early in 2010. He followed 253 not out at Nagpur, when South Africa won by an innings and six runs, with 114 and 123 not out in the innings defeat at Kolkata a week later. It made his average for the series 490. Despite his wristy strokeplay he does not do flash in any way and it was the highest praise last week when an experienced South African observer suggested that he was the side's new Jacques Kallis. All well and good, but two aspects of Amla set him apart from Kallis. A Muslim, he was the first South African of Indian descent to play for the Test team; and he has the tactical acumen and calm leadership skills to be their captain one day. Not that Amla wanted to be enlightening on either of these points. Perhaps he sensed a trap; perhaps he simply prefers to keep his opinions within the dressing room; perhaps that is what works for him. South Africa have come a long way since they re-entered mainstream sport in the early 1990s after being boycotted for two decades because of apartheid.

They still need desperately to produce more non-white cricketers but the quota system whereby non-white players were given an official leg-up into teams has been at least partially replaced by meritocracy. Amla would simply not have played for South Africa until 20 years ago but it is as though that was another age. He is completely relaxed about the system, his religion and the leadership of the team. Once captain of South Africa Under-19s, he has led the one-day team three times in the absence of AB de Villiers last year. But he deflects questions about the captaincy. "I try and contribute as much as I can as a vice-captain," he said. "But, better than that, I contribute advice as a player and if thoughts come into my head I share them. I didn't have time to get used to it when I did it when AB was injured. I think captaincy is something you need to get used to, play some cricket and develop a bit later. For me, I would prefer not being captain as yet so I don't have any aspirations." Nor does he see anything remarkable in the possibility of a devout Muslim captaining South Africa of all teams.

Maybe it really is a sign of their rapid development. Asked how significant it would be, he said: "I don't think I look at it that way. Fortunately, our country is pretty multicultural. It doesn't matter what ethnicity you have, if you're good enough to captain your country then so be it. But I don't have any particular ambitions to be captain. To play for your country is honour enough." And finally his opinions on the vaunted England bowlers and where the series is going. "Any given bowler can be the match-winner. There is a lot to play for from the rankings perspective. What we have to do is play our best cricket and if we do that everything else will take care of itself." Taking time to settle: Amla's Test record Tests 59 Runs 4,464 Average 46.98 Highest score 253 100's 14 Debut Dec 2004 v India, Kolkata.

* Dodgy start Amla struck 149 against New Zealand on his fourth Test appearance in April 2006, but struggled for form overall – his first 15 Test matches resulting in 714 runs, at an average of just 25.5. * Turning the corner He had to wait 19 months and 12 matches for his next century, before scores of 176* and 103 during New Zealand's visit in 2007 changed his fortunes. In the 44 Tests since he has scored 3,750 runs at 55.97, including 13 hundreds. * Amla's Test record against England In South Africa, 2004-05 CSA - Hashim Amla - News and Stats Date of Birth: March 31, 1983 Place of Birth: South Africa Matches Runs Wickets Hashim Amla has made a meteoric rise up the batting rankings in both Test match and ODI cricket over the course of the past 5 years and is currently ranked in the top 4 in both categories.

He has scored 20 of his 22 Test match centuries during that period and another 11 in the limited overs format. He has developed something of a love affair with the country of his ancestors during that period, making 4 Test centuries in India. Three of these came in the 2010 series when he made what was then a career best 253 not out in the Proteas’ win by an innings at Nagpur and then another two in the following match at Eden Gardens, coincidentally the ground on which he made his Test debut in 2004. He thus became the 5th South African and the third of the modern era to score centuries in both innings of a Test match. Not surprisingly these feats saw him named SA Cricketer of the Year for 2010. He won the award for a second time in 2013. He was also selected for the ICC Test Team of the Year for the fourth time in 2013.

He has recently come off outstanding tours of England during which he became the first South African to score a Test match treble hundred and was named Man of the Series in both the Test matches and the ODIs, and of Australia where he was named Man of the Match for his innings of 196 in the deciding match of the series. This is also the highest individual innings for the Proteas against Australia since unity. His rise to the top in the ODI format has been stunning by any standards. He only got the chance to get into the SA one-squad for the Indian tour of 2010 when Graeme Smith was ruled out by injury and he has been a first choice ever since. On the tour to the West Indies later that year he scored 2 centuries and became the first Protea to have an aggregate of more than 400 runs in a five-match series. He currently has the best average and the third best career strike rate of those Proteas who have scored more than 1 000.

He has an average of 51 in Test cricket and 54 in ODIs and scored his 3 000th ODI run in England 12 matches quicker than anybody else in the history of this format. At the start of the 2011-12 season he was named vice-captain of both the ODI and T20 teams and led the Proteas in the ODI series against Australia but has since relinquished that role at his own request. He became South African Test captain in 2014. He and AB de Villiers briefly held the ODI third wicket all-time partnership record of 238, established against Pakistan in 2013. Statistics Hashim Amla - Player Profile - Test Cricket Player Profile - Test Cricket Hashim M Amla (South Africa) Analysis of Wickets Taken by Batting Order Race, Identity and the Making of Hashim Amla – Africa is a Country Race, Identity and the Making of Hashim Amla July 20, 2013 3 Hashim Amla has arrived.

His back-lift to gully now appears the sort of lazy flourish that bored twelve-year-olds develop because they are staggeringly superior to their opposition, rather than the defect that presumed he wouldn’t cut it at international level early on in his career. That twirl of a back-lift is now brought down to defend, flick, drive and reduce Test bowlers into looking like schoolboys. He is silky and elegant in a manner that compelled Richie Benaud, the former Australian captain–and one of the most knowledgeable, and least myopic, of that country’s commentators–-to describe him as “an artist in a team of artisans” during a solid first tour Down Under in 2008. At the time of writing (after the Wanderers Test match against Pakistan in early February) he was the International Cricket Council’s world number one ranked Test batsman. En-route to overtaking Australian captain Michael Clarke to assume that apex he had struck an unbeaten 311 against England at The Oval –becoming the first South African to score a triple-ton and the 22nd person in the history of Test cricket to do so. His batting is eye-catching.

As is the shaggy square beard that marks him out as a devout Muslim in a team that has traditionally traded on what Jesus would do, Castle Lager, jock-of-the-establishment-school-tie posturing and a gritty approach to the game that melded the conservative, dour and tragic elements that reside inside the Afrikaner and the Rooi-neck. If Jacques Kallis, the darling of the South African (white) cricketing media corps, represents the establishment with his hair implants, demeanor as wooden as his “big bat” and tweets calling for the return of the death penalty , then Amla, all leg-side flicks as luxurious as his beard, imperious punches off the back-foot and mere physical manifestation represents its anathema–almost. In the chaotic, overlapping and contradictory world of South African identity politics even that would be too reductionist. Too simple. For, paradoxically, Amla remains of the establishment.

In 1996, once the colour bar had fallen with apartheid, he moved as a 13 year-old to Durban High School, one of South Africa’s premier cricketing establishments (and progenitor of Barry Richards , another darling of the white cricketing establishment and one of Amla’s most vociferous critics when he first broke into the national team). His brother, Ahmed Amla , older by four years and a provincial batsman in his own right noted what this meant in a 2009 interview with CricInfo: “ When I went to school, I only played with the Indian kids ,” said Ahmed, who attended the all-Indian former House of Delegates Tongaat Secondary. “You had separate exams, the whites had separate exams. The integration hadn’t occurred yet. But when Hash came along, the system had changed so rapidly. That really helped him. He studied in an integrated school, played with and against white and other coloured kids.

It does have a huge impact on the personality.” At junior level, he scored as freely as Herschelle Gibbs at a matric dance, playing in integrated teams that included current national teammates AB de Villiers and JP Duminy and captained the South African under-19 side to the World Cup final in 2002. Amla, a second generation “Indian” and the son of doctors based in Tongaat on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast is, to a large extent, the personification of the success of the middle-class experiment in South Africa. He has come into the South African side on the back of enormous talent, but also comfortable privilege. That career escalation should be – and is to a limited extent – celebrated. Yet, it would be spurious to suggest that he represents the questionably constructed notion of a homogenous “Indian community” or previously disadvantaged blacks any more than he represents an elite cricketing system that until the fall of apartheid was built around ensuring white supremacy.

Structurally, South African cricket post-apartheid was not based on the egalitarian principles of radical sports bodies like the South African Council on Sport (Sacos) who refused unification because there could be “no normal sport in an abnormal society”. Rather, following other black cricketers like Makhaya Ntini (who was spotted in the backwaters of Mdingi and spirited off to East London’s Selborne College) and Gibbs who attended Bishops in Cape Town, Amla’s journey was from within the establishment – his career is as much a case for the status quo as it is against the deficiencies of Cricket South Africa’s grassroots development programs. That is not to say he did not – and still does not – battle prejudice. After scratching around for runs following his Test debut away for India in 2004 , Amla was dumped after six matches despite having a better average than Kallis at that stage of his career with the media and former (white) players dismissing him as a mere “quota player” – someone included in the team because of melanin, rather than ability.

The deepest of wounds in a game that, in South Africa, is infected (overtly and subliminally) by racism and paranoia about development in black communities and the slipping of standards (code for “the darkies are just not good enough”). Having quietly rehabilitated his technique, he returned over a year later scoring 144 against New Zealand at Newlands in Cape Town. He has barely looked back since. Yet, when he became the first South African to reach 300 Test runs in an innings the media response was muted. Richard Calland, writing in the Mail & Guardian, noted that e.TV chose to lead their sports bulletin with Ernie Els’s victory at the British Masters rather than laud an unprecedented achievement by a South African. More recently, when Amla announced himself as the premier Test batsman in the world following two fluent knocks against Pakistan at the Wanderers, the South African media was nowhere near as ejaculatory as they can be when AB de Villiers scores a century or Kallis scratches his Yorkers at second slip. Amla is without a doubt another one of the guys in a Proteas dressing room with individuals palpably more diverse and reconstructed than their predecessors.

Speaking after Amla’s 110 against New Zealand created the foundation for South Africa’s innings and 193-run victory at Port Elizabeth’s St George’s Park in January this year, De Villiers revealed: “We all feed off him. He is the rock for us… Everyone fed off Hashim today. He played a great innings again. He has been in unbelievable form pretty much his whole career.” Despite the idiocy of the fake beards worn by fans demonstrating a George W Bush like cultural sensitivity, the 29 year-old is very popular among punters – and not for any novelty value but, rather, for his serenity at the crease and an ever burgeoning batting average. On Day One of the Wanderers Test match against Pakistan in February, he received the loudest cheer of any home batsman. But, for all the ease with which Amla connects with his teammates – many of whom he has known since schoolboy cricket – and despite an elegant and exhilarating batting technique that is amassing runs, the South Africa media retains a blind spot for Amla.

This resurrects the age-old question raised by Trinidadian Marxist theorist CLR James in his seminal book on cricket, Beyond a Boundary: “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?” James acknowledges, “to answer involves ideas as well as facts”. The facts speak for themselves. Within an increasingly hefty case-file for Amla, is that in becoming the fastest batsman to reach 3000 runs in one-day internationals, he required 12 innings less (57) than one of the most destructive batsmen in cricket’s history, the West Indian Viv Richards, a regal, brutal flayer of bowlers and misconceptions of white supremacy in the 70s and 80s. As does a Test batting average of 51.94 after 61 matches – bettered only by Jacques Kallis (56.48) – in a run-laden South African upper order. It is in the realm of ideas, the imagination, where cricket’s writers, analysts and coffin-dodgers appear bereft. And only too comfortable to lapse into the lazy (often unsaid) binary: Black-and-White, Muslim-and-Crusader, Good-and-Evil.

This combines with the historical prejudice embedded in a generation who appear as flummoxed by Amla as one would be by a Muttiah Muralitharan doosra: he looks like a jihadist from Afghanistan yet is a DHS old boy, he is black, but has achieved what many white cricketers will never be able to. It is no coincidence that Amla has spoken about “probably the worst abuse I have ever received” while playing club cricket as a teenager still at school “against 30 and 40 year olds, seasoned club players and along comes this little kid and they did not hold back. But that experience of taking a player out of their comfort zone really builds character and it is a test whether you can make it at international level.” He is possessed of a quiet cricketing resilience and laidback approach to the bigotry of others – characteristics which Amla, perhaps self-deprecatingly, attributes to his Islamic faith – that has seen him endure the insult of being called “a terrorist” by former Australian cricketer, Dean Jones, live on air.

Colombo 2006 and Amla, reinstated to the Test squad and fielding at backward point, held on to a catch off Shaun Pollock’s bowling to send Sri Lankan danger-man, Kumar Sangakkara back to the pavilion. Jones, unaware that his microphone was live said: “The terrorist has got another wicket.” Amla, who told the Guardian in 2008, that the comments “did hurt” added that it was, however, “a lesson to everybody who has hidden stereotypes. I remember Dean said to me, when he apologized, ‘Sorry, mate, I didn’t mean for it to come out on air’… Nevertheless, the teaching of Islam is that if anyone tries to apologise, you forgive them. We all have some inward prejudices that we need to address, whether it be of colour, race or religion.” These prejudices make it even more difficult for the South African media to allow itself an opportunity to reflect on, potentially, the best batsman this country has produced.

An example, by the late British-born Peter Roebuck, perhaps one of the cleverer cricket writers working in South Africa, who wrote for CricInfo, without any sense of irony: “Of all his achievements, Amla’s emergence as the first member of the large Indian community to play Test cricket for South Africa has been the most significant. During the apartheid years the Indians tended to lie low. Shy by nature, resourceful by disposition, aware of their origins as indentured labour, they were caught in a racial no-man’s land, and so concentrated on making money and gaining a good education. To them cricket was an enthusiasm, almost an indulgence. Certainly, it could not be a profession.” A second generation “Indian” whose grandparents arrived in South Africa – not as slaves – from Gujerat, Amla has the wristy stroke-play that the cricket establishment stereotypically identifies with players from the Indian sub-continent.

Yet, he dismissed the attempts at narrow cultural-racial mythologizing before his debut against India at Eden Gardens in 2004 by stating “my blood is green” In Beyond a Boundary, James notes his success at cricket meant “I became one of those dark men whose surest sign of having arrived is the fact that he keeps company with people lighter than himself.” There is undoubtedly, an (expected) element of that in Amla’s cricketing career, yet, to regard him as some sort of establishment house-nigger would be to do a brave, humble young man a profound disservice. Amla isn’t different from his teammates, but he is. He is visible yet simultaneously invisible.

He can singlehandedly destroy bowling attacks in whirls of beauty yet still retains a schoolboy love for the game best demonstrated when, at the Waca in Perth last year after Ricky Pointing’s final Test match Amla was caught on camera asking the Punter, “Can I have a hug?” To which Pointing replied “Of course you can, mate.” In The Black Jacobins, James examines the Haitian revolution of 1791, its leader Toussaint L’Ouverture and all the contradictions, ambiguities, flaws and paradoxes of liberation struggles. It would not be hyperbole to suggest that Amla’s appearances on the cricket pitch and its meaning, reflects similarly on South Africa’s own, ongoing, liberation struggle. * This piece is republished here courtesy of The Con .

Hashim Amla resigns as South Africa Test captain | Cricbuzz.com Hashim Amla resigns as South Africa Test captain by Cricbuzz Staff • Share Hashim Amla reckons he can be of better value to his team as a fully-focussed batsman © Getty Hashim Amla has resigned as South Africa Test skipper on Wednesday (January 6) with immediate effect, after the second Test against England in Cape Town ended in a draw. AB de Villiers takes over as captain for the remainder of the series. The 32-year-old, who took the Test baton from Graeme Smith in June 2014, has been under pressure as his slump in batting form coincided with South Africa's 3-0 drubbing in India. Amla has captained in 14 Tests - with four wins, six draws and four loses. Amla managed just 251 runs in 12 innings in 2015 at a paltry average of 22.81 and reckoned that he could be of greater value to the team as a 'fully focussed batsman'.

"Naturally this decision is not an easy one but the more I think about it the more I believe I can be of greater value to the Proteas as a fully focused batsman and senior player at this time of rebuilding our team. I am deeply grateful and privileged to have been the Test captain and I wish to thank CSA for the honour of captaining my country. It was enjoyable and indeed a great learning experience," Amla was quoted as saying in an official press release. Haroon Lorgat, the Cricket South Africa Chief Executive, revealed that Amla communicated his decision to him and feels the top-order batsman still has a massive role to play in shaping the success of the side. Lorgat also thanked de Villiers for agreeing to fill in right away. "We respect Hashim's decision and the manner in which he thought about it and then communicated with me. It was consistent with his well respected personality. He still has a huge role to play in shaping the succe ss of our team without the need for a leadership title. He is just that type of a person and we are very fortunate to have him in our stable.

I want to thank AB for readily accepting the challenge of rebuilding our Test team as we seek to remain the best team in the world," Lorgat said. Despite taking over on such a short notice, De Villiers, who is also currently South Africa's One-Day Internationals (ODI) skipper, has set his sights on turning his team's performances around and leading them to a series win over England. "I've said this before that it is an incredible honour to captain South Africa in any format. The captaincy has obviously come at short notice and is the realisation of a lifelong dream. At the moment my priority and focus is placed on leading this team to what can be a memorable series win against England. This Test squad is motivated and determined to turn our performances around and I'm looking forward to taking up that challenge as captain. Hashim is a good friend and close colleague and I am grateful for his support." De Villiers's stint as the Test skipper will begin with the third Test against England in Johannesburg from January 14.

© Cricbuzz Hashim Amla: The monk who curbed his instincts - Cricket Country › Series › India vs South Africa 2015 › Articles Hashim Amla: The monk who curbed his instincts Amla is an attacking batsman who loves to play his shots and several times in this series, we have seen him getting out to reckless strokes. By Suvajit Mustafi | Updated : December 6, 2015 7:42 PM IST The Twitter world was set buzzing on Sunday and was flooded with Hashim Amla jokes. The South African skipper remained not out on 23 from 207-balls at stumps on Day Four in the final Test of the tour at Feroz Shah Kotla, and this is the lowest strike-rate for any batsman who has played over 200-balls in Test cricket.

While some mocked it as his protest against ‘rising intolerance’ in India , some called it ‘blockathon’ and some ‘the most boring innings ever in Test cricket.’ ‘Unfair’ to say the least because this display defined Amla’s character and why he has been one of the reasons for South Africa’s rise in Test cricket. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs South Africa 2015 4th Test at Delhi You are out battling for your country with an imminent defeat and a draw is South Africa’s best possible result at the moment. There’s a notion that Amla is an overtly defensive batsman but that’s not true, his career strike-rate in Test cricket is over 51 (which by the way is more than the likes of Jacques Kallis, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman among other greats and not very less than the likes of AB de Villiers or Virat Kohli). To mention One-Day Internationals (ODIs), his strike-rate is over 89 — more than that of Sachin Tendulkar or even MS Dhoni, with an average touching almost 53.

Full Cricket Updates: India vs South Africa 2015 4th Test, Day 4 at Delhi Amla is an attacking batsman who loves to play his shots and several times in this series, we have seen him getting out while trying to score and more often to reckless strokes. Amla’s last visit to India was in 2010 and he made it memorable with consecutive scores of 253 not out, 114 and 123 not out. Now as a captain, he has been shadow of his glorious past getting 43, 0, 7, 1, 39, 3 and now 23 not out, in this series. Along with de Villiers, he has been South Africa’s most prolific batsman in the recent years. The fact that he has failed in this series has hurt his side the most and despite his poor outings he still continues to hold the No.7 position in ICC’s Test batsmen ranking. Form can elude the best and unfortunately for Amla it was this India tour, his most challenging one as the national skipper.

In the ongoing series where South Africa have struggled to even reach the 200-mark, chasing 481 in five sessions was never a possibility. It was a matter of time Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja demolished them in less than two sessions, once again. That’s when South Africa displayed a rare stubborn resilience, something unseen from them in the series. Amla led from the front and received good support from Temba Bavuma and then de Villiers. With the duo of Ashwin and Jadeja asking questions of every ball, and with Indian seamers hitting the right lengths consistently, it’s not easy to curb your natural stroke-making instincts and play for the time. In fact, in the age of T20 cricket where batsmen have got out playing shots in the direst of situations — like Rohit Sharma in the first innings of this Test — South Africa have batted out 72 overs scoring just 72 runs and despite the crawl it has been an excellent display of Test cricket. Here’s a side desperate to win and the other hell bent on denying that.

Let’s see the session-by-session breakdown of South Africa’s innings: Session Hashim Amla steps down as South Africa captain | Cricket | ESPN Cricinfo 195 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Comment 195 Hashim Amla has resigned as South Africa captain following the second Test against England at Newlands. AB de Villiers will take over for the final two Tests of the series in Johannesburg and Centurion. Amla has come in for criticism of his leadership since the start of the series but had returned to form with the bat in Cape Town with 201 in South Africa's only innings. Amla was named as Graeme Smith's replacement as captain in mid-2014 and this was his sixth series in charge. After winning his first three against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and West Indies, he oversaw a rain-affected drawn series against Bangladesh and the 3-0 defeat in India. In a statement, Amla said: "This decision has not an easy one to make I felt I had to be true to myself. I am comfortable with my decision and I feel I need to work on my own game. "I was deeply honoured when the position was given to me.

Throughout my time as captain, I have always had the support of my team-mates and coaching staff . I remain committed to the Proteas across all formats and I will fully support whoever is shown as my successor." Amla said that he had begun to think about stepping down two weeks ago, before the start of the series against England. South Africa are currently 1-0 down, after defeat in Durban, but emerged with credit after a hard-fought draw in Cape Town. "Captaining your country is probably the pinnacle," he said. "Why I did it now, it just so happened I got 200 and it fitted nicely that the South African team did exceptionally well on the last day. It was coming for the last two weeks. "I had chatted to a few of the guys in the team before this, so I don't think it had come as a massive shock," he added. "We have a very tight leadership team: myself, AB, Faf [du Plessis]. AB is very able and a brilliant leader and we will all follow similar goals.

Whether I'm pulling the rope, or AB is pulling the rope or Dale [Steyn] is pulling the rope, as long as someone is going in the right direction, we all will go with him." Despite reports that Amla had, at times, been a reluctant captain during his two-year tenure, he insisted he had not had to be coerced into the role in the first place, and that his decision to stand down was also entirely his own. "It was always my decision," he said. "In life I have learned that if you are going to do something, you've got to do something you enjoy. I've always enjoyed captaincy. "When Graeme stepped down, it gave an opportunity for me to explore my captaincy. I thought at the time I could add value and I'd like to believe that I have added value. I am really surprised some people have suggested it was not my choice. You don't look like me in this world without being firm on what you want to do." Amla found his form with 201 in the Newlands Test © Getty Images "The decision has been purely based on that I think somebody else can do a better job.

It was just something that crossed my mind and was working on my mind. My leadership style, and we have a very young team, maybe somebody else would have done a better job." Haroon Lorgat, the CSA chief executive, said: "We respect Hashim's decision and the manner in which he thought about it and then communicated with me. It was consistent with his well respected personality "He still has a huge role to play in shaping the success of our team without the need for a leadership title. He is just that type of a person and we are very fortunate to have him in our stable. "I want to thank AB for readily accepting the challenge of rebuilding our Test team as we seek to remain the best team in the world." De Villiers said that while being handed the job in such circumstances was not ideal, it would allow him to fulfil a dream of captaining his country in Test cricket. "I've said this before that it is an incredible honour to captain South Africa in any format. The captaincy has obviously come at short notice and is the realisation of a lifelong dream," de Villiers said. "At the moment my priority and focus is placed on leading this team to what can be a memorable series win against England.

This Test squad is motivated and determined to turn our performances around and I'm looking forward to taking up that challenge as captain. Hashim is a good friend and close colleague and I am grateful for his support." Russell Domingo, South Africa's coach, added that de Villiers was the frontrunner for the role full-time, but said that the selectors would make a long-term decision at the end of the England series. He added that Amla's achievements as South Africa's captain stood up to scrutiny in spite of the criticism he received during his time in charge. "I feel that there hasn't been enough respect shown for what he has achieved as a player," he said. "People can say what they want to, [but] he is still averaging 45 as captain. He has gone to Zimbabwe, won a series there, gone to Sri Lanka and won a series there which no other captain has done. He won a series against West Indies. He has gone to India where a lot of captains have lost under tough conditions, and we've come here with six new players who have all played under 10 Test matches.

"He has sacrificed himself for the rest of the team which speak volumes for him, and people need to appreciate that type of character and it seems we sometimes undervalue that on the field. He has got a lot of experience, and expertise and advice that he can give, particularly the younger players in the side." © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Question: Hashim Amla has played test cricket for which country?
Answer: SOUTH AFRICA